The present invention relates to drinking vessels with removable covers, and more specifically to disposable cups, or the like, having novel means in the nature of self-contained straws through which a beverage may be withdrawn.
It is a widespread current practice to dispense hot and cold beverages in disposable cups having a removable cover placed over the lip at the upper end of the cup, the configuration and materials of the cup and cover providing a substantially sealed relationship. The beverage, at least in the case of cold beverages, is withdrawn through a common drinking straw which is inserted into the cup through an opening such as X-cut slits in the cover. The use of such beverage dispensing units, i.e., cups, mating covers, and straws, provides a relatively inexpensive and convenient means of dispensing bulk beverages, with literally millions used each day for cold beverages alone. The use of drinking straws for hot beverages is much less common, due at least in part to the possibility of burning the mouth by drawing a hot beverage through the relatively concentrated area of a drinking straw.
Although the cup, when securely mated on the cup lip, is a deterrent to leakage or spillage should the cup be tipped or overturned, leakage may occur through and around the straw. In fact, the presence of the straw, extending for a substantial distance upwardly from the cup, creates an additional means of inadvertent overturning and adds to the possibility of dislodging the cap.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a drinking vessel providing all the convenience of a sealable cover with beverage withdrawal through a drinking straw, while eliminating the straw as a separate element.
A further object is to provide a beverage cup and mating lid combination which allows withdrawal of the beverage in a number of selected increments.
An additional object is to provide a drinking cup having built-in straw means having a lower end with which the liquid contents self-align when the cup is tipped, permitting easy withdrawal of all liquid.
Another object is to provide a disposable, molded plastic drinking cup having built-in beverage withdrawal means which can be manufactured at a cost not significantly greater than a cup of similar size without such means.
Still another object is to provide stackable beverage cups with self-contained drinking straw means which are configured to facilitate withdrawal of individual cups from a stack of such cups placed one within the other.
Other objects will in parts be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.